Hunter Academy: Revenge of the Weakest novel Chapter 786

"You mages surely love exerting your aura on others….."

His gaze remained locked on her, his expression calm and unaffected. "With how things are in the academy," he said, his voice cutting through the cold like a blade, "are you confident that you will not face any repercussions if you do such a thing?"

Seraphina’s eyes narrowed, her frosty aura intensifying for a moment. She leaned closer, her silver eyes gleaming like ice under the sun. "Repercussions?" she repeated, her tone mocking. "You underestimate what I can get away with, Astron."

"Perhaps," he replied, unfazed. "But even those with power know that the wrong move can cost them everything. Unless you’re confident enough to bear that cost?"

The words hung in the chilled air between them, and for a moment, the frost around Astron lingered, unmoving. Then, slowly, it began to recede. Seraphina sat back in her chair, her smirk returning but her eyes sharp with calculation.

"Confident as ever, aren’t you?" she said, her tone lighter now, though there was a dangerous edge beneath it. "I have to admit, you’re not as dull as most."

"I’ll take that as a compliment," Astron replied, his voice steady.

Seraphina leaned back slightly in her chair, her silver eyes narrowing as she observed Astron. A thought, sharp and undeniable, crept into her mind:

’He has changed.’

This wasn’t the same Astron she had encountered during the first semester. While his calm demeanor and calculated words were familiar, the way he carried himself now was different—more assured, more unyielding. Back then, his strength had been significantly lower, and though he had tried to hide it behind a facade of confidence, she could see the cracks.

When she had threatened him before, she remembered the flicker of resistance in his eyes, the way he seemed to consider standing against her. But ultimately, he had forcefully given up on the idea, bowing to the reality of the situation.

’That was the logical thing to do,’ she mused. ’If I were in his position, I would have done the same.’

After all, clashing with her back then would have been nothing short of suicide. Everyone knew her lineage. She was a child of an archmage, one of the Frostborne, a family whose name carried weight not just in the academy but across the entire magical community. And she wasn’t just coasting on her family’s reputation—she was the former rank-one student, equal to Victor Langley in prowess.

But now…

’Now, he stands here as if he’s seen mages like me before. As if he’s dealt with them—and worse.’

Her sharp mind turned over the details. The way he had stood motionless as her frosty aura encased him. The way his purple eyes hadn’t wavered, even as the subtle intent behind her aura sought to inflict pain.

It wasn’t just defiance; it was experience.

Accommodating a mage’s aura wasn’t something a normal hunter could do so easily. A mage’s aura wasn’t like the pressure of a brute hunter’s raw strength. It was layered, complex, and suffused with intricate mana flows. When a mage released their aura, the effects weren’t just overwhelming—they were designed to disorient, to penetrate, to hurt.

And she had intended it.

The subtle pain woven into her frosty aura wasn’t accidental. It was a test—a small, deliberate sting meant to make him flinch, to remind him of the gulf between them.

But Astron had stood there, unaffected.

’He didn’t just endure it. He took it as if it was nothing.’

Her mind raced, analyzing the implications. A hunter accustomed to facing mages, one who could withstand their mana-infused presence, was rare. Hunters weren’t trained to deal with the intricacies of mana manipulation. That kind of experience came from exposure—repeated encounters with mages of her caliber or higher.

’This is no coincidence,’ she thought. ’What has he been doing? Where has he been that he’s changed this much?’

In the span of a single semester break, Astron had transformed from a slightly above-average academy cadet to someone whose strength was now obscured—entirely beyond her sight.

Seraphina’s fingers lightly tapped the edge of the frosted table, her silver eyes narrowing in thought.

’Not being able to see through his strength doesn’t necessarily mean he’s become overwhelmingly powerful,’ she reasoned. ’It could mean something else entirely.’

As a mage, she understood the intricacies of mana far better than most. While overwhelming strength could obscure someone’s parameters, so too could specific abilities or artifacts designed to block perceptions like hers.

’It’s rare,’ she thought, recalling the few instances she’d encountered. ’But it’s not impossible.’

Her mind drifted back to her initial encounter with him, before the semester break. Back then, her trait had worked perfectly. His strength was measurable, his potential visible, and his flaws laid bare for her to exploit. She could see the resistance in his eyes when she’d cornered him, the way his logical mind had forced him to submit despite his instincts.

’He was just another cadet. Ambitious, perhaps, but ultimately predictable.’

But now…

Now, he was an enigma. An unknown.

And Seraphina Frostborne despised unknowns.

’It’s like Schrodinger’s Box,’ she mused, recalling the theories of a revolutionary mage who had once shaken the foundations of magical society with his work on mana psions. Schrodinger had proposed that the strength of a psion, much like mana itself, existed in a dual state within a concealed entity until observed. The act of observing defined its state—until then, it was a mystery.

’Without looking inside the box, I can’t understand his strength. And I hate not understanding.’